Author: Allan

Hey Everyone. Just dropping a line to let everyone know I’ve recently gotten a new computer, since Apples are overpriced pieces of junk. This new system uses windows 10, and transferring things over has proven a pain. I’m a little sad, because I did like the Apple operating system, but their hardware isn’t worth the paper all the money I spent for it wasn’t printed on. I suppose I could make a hackintosh, but honestly, Apple has become so proprietary, I don’t really see much of a point.

This time around, as far as writing is concerned, I am also going to give Scrivener a try, instead of Microsoft Word. Microsoft word is okay, but I have never been a fan of the subscription model to software use and I try to avoid it as much as I can. Microsoft still sells an earlier *student* version of their software that doesn’t require a subscription fee, but it likely gets little support, and the licensing is wonky, just like if I were to install one of their old office disks. (Most computers don’t even have an optical drive anymore. I have to buy those separately. We will rue the day we gave up physical ownership of our books, games, and software libraries, but most people only care about the convenience.)

That is where I leave this for now. So far, attempts at weekly updates has been a resounding failure, but I refuse to give up on keeping a website. I just need more stuff to talk about that might interest people… it’s just a matter of finding out what…

Hello Everyone! This Saturday I went back to Otakon with my sister, and spent Sunday practically sleeping it off. We both had fun but didn’t get the best opportunities to snap any pictures, so, unfortunately, I don’t have any to show you. Maybe next convention.

I did, however, get a lot more artwork to add to my collection, and met an old friend from my days in Salisbury named Ashley Bryner. Check out her art at firesighted.com. We chatted a little, and discussed the by gone days of our anime/gaming group back in college called Starnet. So sad it changed when a lot of the older members graduated. Apartment 2E will always hold a fond place in my memory. Anyway, buying art is one of the primary reasons I go to these types of conventions in general, because I like collecting it, and it helps support fellow artists and writers. I also rarely if ever find anything I want in vendor halls, and that’s before the sticker shock. Two or three prints from an artist seems a much more worthwhile use of my money than a cheap mask, hat, or plush toy. (Though I do like those things, they just have to be REALLY cute, fun, or unique, to catch my attention… which most of the stuff wasn’t, sadly. The price hikes don’t help either.)

Despite the fun we had, however, there was a bit of a sour note. Otakon this year was noticeably… lacking. Last year was my first time, so it was the benchmark by which I based my expectations, and… I have to say, even the smaller con I went to in November, AnimeUSA, seemed a lot more, ‘fleshed out’. The vendors and industry representatives that had posters, swag, and a giant Shenron hanging up from last year were mysteriously absent, and those that were present, such as Nintendo, and Funimation, had significantly cheaper swag and handouts than they had previously. There was also far less variety in vendors, with very few, if any vendors for Japanese merchandise, and a plethora of comic book and gaming stores, most of which I could go to anytime outside the convention. They were even running sales in an effort to compete with each other (and were still overpriced). Combined with what felt like overall lower attendance, the place just seemed… less alive, than the year before. Perhaps it’s just me, because this happened when I used to go to Games Workshop Games Days as well, but it has put the prospect of going next year on the bench, instead of being a certainty. Perhaps some of you can tell me what was going on, or if you’ll be attending next year yourselves.

On to website and writing related news. The second book of “The Last Chronicle of Azurden” is moving along slowly, but it IS moving along. I will get the whole series done, eventually. That’s a promise. In the meantime, help support my work by spreading the word to your friends and co-workers. Not to sound shameless, but this will help the writing along as well, because support, both monetary, and via reviews and criticism, do encourage me to throw more creative coal into the fire, and if my anthropomorphic characters are helping me pay the bills, I can spend a lot more time on them. If you don’t like anthros, also feel free to let me know. I have quite a few stories on the back burner that just need some polish, and quite a few feature the average human. You might also be interested in my other works, also featured on this website.

As for website updates, I will continue posting information relative to my work, and my interests, hopefully at more regular intervals, but I would really like to hear from you as well. Comments help me tailor my content, so I can show you guys the cool stuff I have and am working on that I’ll then know you want to see. I also got a new camera for taking pictures, and a digital sketchpad for drawings, so the skies the limit at this point. If you want more maps of the continent of Enavordin, or want me to cheat and start posting early sketches of Azurden itself, just let me know 😉 And if you don’t want to post a comment on my website for whatever reason, you can also post to my Facebook, or find me on Minds.

That’s all for today. My next update should come sooner this time, so keep checking this space.

A quick update to let everyone know that I’ve finally finished the background and location information of the land of Loringlund. Feel free to go check it out by heading up to the navigation bar in the upper right of my site, mousing over LCA Lore, and selecting, Loringlund. I even introduce one of the series’ main characters.

I’ll be dropping another update shortly concerning the more business end of things, so stay tuned, and don’t forget to hit that Like button if you’re on Facebook, or Follow if you’re on WordPress.

Last weekend, (Oct 19-21) I went to Anime USA, a local convention in Washington D.C. held in the convention center at the Marriott. It was a birthday gift to my sister, and though neither one of us are “otakus”, both of us do love the artwork, and sense of community portrayed at these events. I was sure I would find neat things to do, and learn quite a bit as well, especially some advice concerning work in the industry, and lore I intend to use in future works. Now, I didn’t take many pictures, partly because I’m not very photogenic, and partly because my camera battery is never charged, even when it is, but I do want to share with you a few of the things we saw and did.

Here is a picture of me with the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Yes, I am smiling in the picture. Believe me, it is a step up from the permanent scowl that my siblings and I tend to possess.

There were so many other awesome costumes, I wish I could show them to you, but even if my camera had been charged, there is only so much space I have at my disposal on the WordPress database, so I’ll just have to list off some of the more notable ones I can remember. There were several kitsunes, quite a few Umbreons and Espeons from “Pokemon”, many Links and Zeldas from “The Legend of Zelda” several Kazutos from “Sword Art Online” , an Alucard from “Hellsing” Mario and Luigi from “Super Mario Brothers” a Goku and Vegeta from “Dragon Ball Z” and even the main character from that new anime “Golin Slayer” everyone is talking about. Of course there were more, but it would take me hours to find and reference them all, since many I really don’t know that much about.

We also went to a number of different panels, from one’s that had my sister make stuffed animals, to one’s that covered Japanese lore, to producers of “Pokemon” discussing the show, and even a few that had me make a piece of semi-functional armor. I met well known animator Jeff Cummings, voice actress Liza Ortiz, and got a little professional advice from voice actress and voice coach, Karen Strassman; experiences that were well worth the entry price. Karen’s words have motivated me to push the gas pedal, so to speak, on doing this as my profession, and so, I will be talking about that a bit later.

However, my favorite place by far, at almost any con, (all three I’ve ever been to) is the artist alley. Separate from the dealers hall, which was quite large for such a small con, it allows local and national artists to sell their work, advertise, and take commsions. I am a HUGE stickler for originality, and this is one of the few places you can find it. Though many prints and designs represent characters from shows and well known works, they are drawn and colored by the people there, making them unique in their own sense. I often opt for completely original works, ones that don’t depict well known characters, but sometimes, there’s a pose, or a scene I just can’t say no too. I have been collecting works from several artists in this way, making sure every print and poster is personally signed in some way or form, and am creating a portfolio to display them all. I know some will ask why, as many of the posters have little monetary value, even with the signatures, but just as with any other collection, it’s not about the money, but the journey taken to accrue it. Naturally, I cannot post the prints I purchase without the artists permission, so don’t expect to see many any time soon, but for those that might be interested in my other hobbies outside of Warhammer, well, now you know of another one.

And speaking of collecting, I am also a huge fan of talismans and pendents. Outside of a watch, it is the only jewelry I ever really wear, as my fingers are gigantic sausages that don’t take well to finger rings, I am extremely hard on belt buckles, and I have no interest in ear or nose rings. To that effect, I also bought several little pendants at the con, all of which depicted… EEVEES! I am a huge eeveelution nut, even though I haven’t paid much attention to Pokemon in years. I have an Eevee and a Jolteon on the dash of my truck, an Eevee sticker on my computer, and now I have three new eeveelution pendents. Though made of far cheeper materials than silver and pearl, given they were done in a vibrant victorian style I just couldn’t say no. So now, I’d like to show them to you. In order from left to right is, Jolteon (my favorite eeveelution), Leafeon, and Sylveon, (my second favorite eeveelution)

Umbreon (my third favorite) was also available, but I’m not made of cash, and so I got the three I thought looked best. I was going to go with just Jolteon and Sylveon at first, but Leafeon made it a very difficult choice. If you are interested in acquiring similar pendants, they were purchased from a shop’s booth called, Viking Sheep. They do have an online store, but you’ll likely have to contact them if you’re interested in the pendants, as they are not up on the store’s display.

So, that was my first time at Anime USA. It is not as big as Otakon, so it may not be worth going to from out of state, but it is certainly worth going to if you live in or around the MD/ VA area, or even just a bit beyond. After all, Otakon didn’t start off as huge as it has become, and other conventions can only grow as large when people attend them. As for us, my sister and I find we prefer the smaller conventions anyway, as Otakon was very busy and a little too crowded for our tastes. What? Why have I never talked about Otakon? Well… my trip there this summer was my first, and done largely for my sister who needed someone to go along. We went on Sunday only, and though I collected a lot of artwork, that was all I really had time for, and didn’t have much else to speak about. Maybe next year, if I have the funds (Buy my books!) I will be able to go the entire weekend, and have a great deal more to talk about.

Next week, I am going to discuss some plans going forward as far as this site, my work, and marketing. Pay attention to the “Loringlund” lore page, as I will likely be finishing it up later this week. Also, if you have any fan art you would like me to post, send it to me at my email address located on my “About” page. I’m always happy to hear from fans. That’s all for now. Take care, and don’t forget to Subscribe and Comment. Also, if you want, check me out on FaceBook and Minds. Always happy to get more likes and shares, and often return the favor if you have a page yourself.

As the title says, it’s the 4th of July, and for many that means wings, ribs, steaks, and an alcoholic beverage of choice. Fireworks too, though I’m not as big a fan of those as I used to be. Good food however will always make any holiday worth remembering.

And as for remembering, we should never forget the reason for the holiday, and the principles and values this country was founded upon, especially in these politically turbulent times. Both sides of the spectrum are guilty of wanting to curtail our freedoms, and that goes against everything this nation should stand for. I’m not going to bore, or “offend” anyone with a drawn out political rant. I just want people to keep certain things in mind, such as Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Don’t forget to check out my lore section for an update to the Loringlund tour. There… was an issue… I’ll just leave it to you to guess at what might be going on. I’m not really certain of it myself.

Also, Hobby Corner will be returning soon. I promise. I’ve had a lot of other things to work on lately, including keeping promises to myself. I will probably also introduce a few new things later on that may catch your attention. So stay tuned, and don’t stop checking in from time to time. Just because there isn’t an update to my front page, doesn’t mean I haven’t been changing a few other things on the side… 😛

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another site update. A BIG update for my book fans today, and a lot of information about what can be expected in days to come, so let’s just get right to it.

First of all, the site itself. I have removed the ART and TIBBOLD SIGHTINGS tabs, as they were currently serving little purpose. Instead, they have been replaced with the LCoA LORE and SECRETS tabs respectively. LCoA LORE is where I’m going to put all my extra lore entries concerning The Last Chronicle of Azurden, including maps, character profiles, coats of arms, and any other tidbits I decide to reveal, or others want to see. Currently I have put up a map of Loringlund, the country featured in “A Deal in the Darkness” and have had Archimede give brief explanations of several locations referenced in the story. Archimede is a bit of a… character, but I felt he’d be more appropriate for the task than I. Here is a picture of the map so as to get a glimpse of just how in depth I intend the lore section to become.

The map was made with an online program called Inkarnate, a fantasy map making software I decided to use largely because I didn’t want to create all my own assets. (That takes a TON of time I simply do not have). Everything else about the map however, was hand crafted, and I think I got as close to a likeness of Loinglund as I can get without being a full on cartographer. To see closeups of the map, as well as the descriptions of some of the places, just click on that LCoA LORE link up top.

SECRETS is a bit of a new approach to an old idea. TIBBOLD SIGHTINGS wasn’t expanding as I would have liked it to, and I thought it likely there would be other stories I wanted to add that had nothing to do with the mercenary werewolf. Tibbold is still there, but now that section has a wider range of possibilities, from short stories I just feel like posting, to secret little plot points and asides concerning my main body of work. It’s intended to be a little gold nugget for devout readers who want more, and that is what I want to make it. Currently, only the first story, The Princess and the Wolf is available, but I intend to add others in the future.

Now, a little update on the progress of Book 2. Book 2 IS continuing but there’s little more I can say on it currently. My hope is to have it out by the end of this year, or early next. When it arrives, you’ll be sure to know. In the meantime I will also be announcing other books from Ellysian Press authors, and perhaps even conducting a few interviews for those interested. Keep checking back each week, as now that I’ve laid some framework for creating content, this site is just going to keep getting more and more of it.

That’s it for today. Check back Friday for a Hobby Corner update. I’m not sure what I will reveal yet, but I can tell you it’s going to be big.